`Success of Indian-Americans, a source of pride for India`

Washington: Observing that Indian-American
community are one of the important interface of the Indo-US
economic engagement, Indian Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar
has said the success of this community is a source of pride
and encouragement for the people of India.

"The success of the Indian-American community is a
source of pride and encouragement for the people of India,"
Shankar said in her valedictory address to the `People-to-
People` Conference organised by the State Department ahead of
the Obama visit.
"The Indian-Americans are the window to India`s
culture, tradition and ethos in the United States and a bridge
symbolising the friendship between our two great democracies.
There is much hope on both sides in their ability and
enthusiasm to build newer dimensions of our relationship," she
said in her remarks on Thursday.

"We are fortunate to have an Indian-American community
in the United States whose capability and contribution
instills great confidence. Their ability to serve their
adopted home in this country and make such sterling
contributions to its society and economy is what, in my view,
makes the Indian Americans such an important component of
India`s growing engagement with the United States," she said.

"We are all looking forward to the visit of President
Obama. It is after 32 years that the President of the United
States is visiting India in his first term in office. This is
a reflection of the growing weight of our relationship," she
said.

Shankar praised the role of the Indian-American
community in the passage of the nuclear deal.
"Their efforts were largely responsible for creating
the right environment and understanding of mutual benefits to
both India and the United States from the nuclear deal that
eventually facilitated the successful passage of the 123
agreement," she said.

"The fact that the agreement itself was a watershed in
the transformation of the India-US relations, makes the
political activism and engagement of the Indian-American
community in the whole process that much more laudable," she
said.

Shankar said economic engagement between India and the
United States is going to be a key driver of our strategic
partnership in the 21st century.

"And the role that the Indian diaspora plays in
nurturing this partnership is truly impressive. Many of the
companies run by Indian-Americans are not only investing in
India, but also partner in attracting investment from India to
the United States, thus contributing to the growth of
businesses and jobs in both countries," she said.

"Indian-Americans have been at the forefront of
development of the knowledge economy, too, and shaping the
India-US partnership in this new and promising area," she
said.